The Evolution of Work and Leisure: A Modern Perspective

Sixty percent of the jobs that Americans do today didn’t exist in 1940. What happens as our labor becomes more technical and less physical? And what kinds of jobs will exist in the future? 

• SOURCES:
  • David Autor, professor of economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
  • Paula Barmaimon, manager of coverage and audience analytics at The New York Times.
  • Ellen Griesedieck, artist and president of the American Mural Project.
  • Adina Lichtman, co-host of the Our Friends Are Smart party.
  • Avi Popack, co-host of the Our Friends Are Smart party.
  • Huck Scarry, author and illustrator.
  • James Suzman, anthropologist and author.
  • Ben Varon, rabbi and chaplain at NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn .

• RESOURCES:
  • "New Frontiers: The Origins and Content of New Work, 1940–2018," by David Autor, Caroline Chin, Anna Salomons, and Bryan Seegmiller (The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 2024).
  • Work: A Deep History, from the Stone Age to the Age of Robots, by James Suzman (2020).
  • Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do, by Studs Terkel (1974).
  • What Do People Do All Day?, by Richard Scarry (1968).
  • "Economic Possibilities for our Grandchildren," by John Maynard Keynes (1930).
  • American Mural Project.

• EXTRAS:
  • "Will the Democrats 'Make America Great Again'?" by Freakonomics Radio (2023).
  • "How to Stop Worrying and Love the Robot Apocalypse," by Freakonomics Radio (2021).
  • "Did China Eat America’s Jobs?" by Freakonomics Radio (2017).
  • People I (Mostly) Admire.